The first rule in farce is that in order for it to work onstage, the characters need to be grounded in reality, their actions and reactions sincere.

That’s true only some of the time in Moonlight Stage Productions’ “Leading Ladies,” the Ken Ludwig farce that opened its winter season at the Avo Playhouse on Thursday. Director Christopher Williams’ production has some experts in the cast who understand that big isn’t always better, but others ham it up so broadly it goes over the top.

Williams has experience directing farce, and Moonlight has had success with Ludwig’s other farces, “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Moon Over Buffalo.” But “Leading Ladies” isn’t as well-written as the other two plays and Williams’ production felt under-rehearsed and occasionally forced on opening night.

Set in Pennsylvania during the 1950s, “Leading Ladies” is the story of two touring English actors who are down to their last dollar performing Shakespeare scenes at moose lodges. When the actors Leo Clark and Jack Gable (Clark & Gable, get it?) read in the local newspaper that an elderly heiress named Florence is desperate to find her long-lost English nieces Maxine and Stephanie before she dies, they dress in drag and attempt to pass themselves off as the potential heirs. But problems ensue when Leo falls for Florence’s other niece, Meg, and Jack falls for Audrey, a family friend. Meanwhile, Meg’s greedy fiance Rev. Duncan Wooley plots to unmask the actors so he can keep the fortune for himself.

Williams was smart in casting Paul Morgavo as Leo/Maxine and Eric Hellmers as Jack/Stephanie. They’re both fine farceurs, play off each other well and are good physical comedians. Morgavo’s one of the few onstage who doesn’t shout or scream his lines and he makes a hilariously ugly woman as Maxine. And the rubber-faced, likable Hellmers is surprisingly graceful as the towering Stephanie. And Kristin Woodburn is a real find as Meg, a solid actress with comedy and Shakespeare chops.

Noelle Marion is sweet and playful as Audrey, and Spencer Rodman is believably dense as her suitor, Butch, but they’re directed to play their roles so foolishly, they’re like wide-eyed automatons. Thom Vegh earns some well-deserved laughs as the randy Doc Meyers, Taylor Bassett is conniving as Rev. Wooley and Dagmar Kraus Fields waves a mean cane as the spiteful Florence.

One of the production’s best features is Chris Luessmann’s elaborate sound design, complete with train sounds, crowd noise, music and more. Roslyn Lehman and Renetta Lloyd’s costumes are a stitch, particularly the theater-inspired drag ensembles. Paul A. Canaletti Jr. designed lighting and Bonnie Durben, props. N. Dixon’ Fish’s two-story estate home set is lavish, but the cheaply made train set in Act One looks like something from a high school production.

Once the Moonlight cast gets a few more performances under its belt, the production should settle in, as long as the actors shout less and focus on keeping it real.